


Bro, I Like Like You

by viiixel



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Saix is only in this briefly, Two bros falling in love can we get an amen, Zine: Missed Connections - KH Rarepair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:20:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23851450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/viiixel/pseuds/viiixel
Summary: After being asked about dating his friend and roommate, Axel realizes that the two of them really don't act like 'just friends'.
Relationships: Axel/Demyx (Kingdom Hearts)
Kudos: 16
Collections: My Zine Works





	Bro, I Like Like You

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally written for the Missed Connections - KH Rarepair zine! I love akudem sooo much so I was really excited to get the chance to show them some much needed love! I hope you enjoy!!

“So, when did you and Demyx get together?” 

Axel blinked as he looked up from the fries he had been inhaling, confused at the question Saix had asked him. 

“What do you mean, we’re not together?” It came out as a question as Axel was so utterly baffled at his best friend suggesting that he was dating his roommate. There was just no way. 

“Didn’t you guys go on a date the other night? It was all over your stories.” Saix looked at him as he took a bite of his burger, the small cafe they were eating at suddenly feeling a lot warmer at the ridiculous suggestion. 

Axel blinked again. “So…? We just went out to play mini golf.” 

“Just the two of you?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Where he was all over you?” 

Axel shook his head, tossing a fry at his plate. He watched as Saix raised an eyebrow and gave him the ‘Well, am I wrong?’ look that he always had whenever he thought he was right. 

“That’s just how he is,” Axel muttered as he took a drink, knowing Saix could see the way his cheeks were burning. A smug look settled on the other man’s face and Axel rolled his eyes. 

“Well, I guess if that’s the bare criteria then we might as well be on a date too.” 

Axel shot him a pointed look as Saix shook his head and Axel knew his lack of a response meant that he knew he thought he was right about whatever he was thinking of. 

Saix’s words nagged at him his entire way back to his apartment. He’d never thought of Demyx, the goofy guy he met in his communications course where the two of them sat in the back of the class and messed around, as boyfriend material. Sure, they ended up living together, but that was out of necessity and opportunity more than anything. Demyx’s roommate had bounced on him and Axel needed a place to crash to cut down on the commute to the college they attended. 

So what if they still lived together a year after graduating? They meshed well and Demyx was a great friend to hang around. Axel liked going to his live shows to show support for his very talented pal. He knew Demyx liked to hang out after Axel got off his shift at the local ice cream parlor, the two of them eating ice cream in the setting sun because he was a good bro like that. 

These thoughts were running through his head as he unlocked the door. He was midway through turning the key when it hit him:  _ Yeah, they kind of were dating, weren’t they?  _

He stood there, trying to remember the last time either of them had partners. He remembered a brief stint Demyx had with a guy when Axel had first moved in and he himself hadn’t really been comfortable dating since his last relationship fell through before he had met Demyx. 

Then he thought about the way Demyx was touchy feely, which he had thought was just how Demyx was, but the more he thought about it… the arms around his shoulders and waist, the easy way he would grab his hand and yanked him places, the hand that always finds its way into Axel’s hair when they were just chilling. 

Axel’s face heated up as he realized that he had gotten to where he reciprocated the touches and he wasn’t sure when that happened. Really giving their relationship some thought as he stood in the hall contemplating, he supposed that from the outside looking in-- 

It sure as hell looked like the two of them were dating. Damn, he hated when Saix was right. 

Unsure what to do with the realization, Axel tried to shake it off before finally entering their apartment. 

“Heeeeyyy, bud! How was hanging out with grumpy pants?” Demyx’s voice caught him off guard and he couldn’t help the mental curse that he just happened to be home so there was no way that Axel could try to escape the thoughts he was having. 

“Oh you know, the usual. Him pointing out things that he has no business pointing out,” Axel said in a joking tone, setting his keys in the bowl by the door before walking into the main room of their small apartment. There he could see the top of Demyx’s styled hair as he relaxed on the couch and without thinking, Axel walked up behind the couch and leaned over to smack at Demyx’s thigh in greeting. 

“Hey!” In response, Axel felt a hand against his shoulder and he nearly lost his footing as he was shoved away. Their laughter filled the room as Axel straightened and ruffled Demyx’s hair in passing to get to his room. 

Being around Demyx was easy and it was only until he was alone in his room that he began to second guess his actions and feelings. Undressing into something more comfortable to lounge into, Axel thought about doing romantic things with Demyx. They already kind of went out and were touchy feeling but he thought about the next few steps, like kissing and … he shut down at the thought of being intimate, his cheeks burning as he shook his head. This was stupid, he told himself as he stomped out of his room and looked at Demyx. 

“Hey,” Axel said with a bit more force than he intended and he tried to soften his voice again at the look Demyx gave him, “Hey, sorry, look, can I ask you about something that’s bothering me?” As he talked, he moved to the couch and tapped at Demyx’s legs until he drew them up so he could sit. 

“Yeah, sure, man, what’s up?” Demyx’s genuine interest both calmed and put Axel on edge. He realized that it wasn’t the thought of being with Demyx that was bothering him so much, rather the knowledge that they haven’t stated any feelings beyond friendship and he was hesitant to screw their relationship up. So Axel paused, doing his best to figure out how to approach this without making a situation out of potentially nothing. Even if it did seem like a small ‘potentially’. 

Sighing, Axel sank back into the couch as he glanced away, unable to look at Demyx as he dropped the bomb. 

“Saix made a comment where he said it looks like we’re dating. I brushed it off at first,” Another sigh escaped him as he dared to peek at his friend, his confidence rising at Demyx’s own calm expression, “but the more I think about it… I guess I can see what he sees.” 

Axel waited and watched as Demyx seemed to mull over what he said. He wasn’t sure how to expect Demyx to react and as every possible scenario popped into his head, Demyx saved Axel from his overactive brain by saying the one thing he really had not expected to hear. 

“Well, I guess I do like you so that would explain why I act that way.” 

Floored, Axel stared at Demyx for a good minute until Demyx muttered that staring was rude. Snapping out of it, Axel tried to think about what he had just said. His brain hadn’t quite caught up with his mouth though, so he just blurted out, “I like you too.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah. I think.” Axel shook his head, his cheek flaming as he looked to Demyx. “I mean, I think? It’s hard to tell because I never really thought about it but I’ve… I guess I could kiss you and do all that.” Axel faltered at the end, finishing lamely. There was a beat before Demyx’s laughter filled the space between them and Axel felt himself turn a deeper shade of red. As he reached out to swat at his shoulder, Demyx caught his wrist and pulled Axel closer. 

“I didn’t mean right now,” he was murmuring, the realization of what they admitted to settling over him. He could feel Demyx’s breath on his face. Meeting eyes with him there was a moment that Axel swore they were going to kiss, but instead Demyx pushed him away laughing. 

“I don’t kiss until the first date, Ax~! Gotta take me out if you wanna get a taste of these,” Demyx pointed to his lips and Axel rolled his eyes as he settled back against the couch. 

“I’m being serious Dem, I think I wanna try this.” 

“I’m being serious too.” Demyx’s answer was somewhat flippant, as if he was trying hard to not make it seem like he was in fact serious, but Axel could see the way his cheeks were coloring. Not to mention the way he couldn’t quite meet his eye, which in a way made Axel feel better that he was experiencing the same nervousness at this change in their relationship. 

“Are you?” Axel asked, leaning towards him again, the tease evident in his voice as he tried to ignore the way his heart was thumping. “Then let me take you out, treat ya real nice.” 

“Coming from the guy whose definition of nice is the takeout place down the street? It’ll take more to impress me than that, bro.” Axel reached over to yank the pillow out from behind Demyx, making the other man sink on the couch for his shit talking. The two of them shared a look before Axel got up and ran off with the pillow, Demyx tearing after him to get it back. 

Once the two of them had settled from fighting over the pillow, Axel made sure to tell Demyx that he’d make sure it was a first date he’d remember. 

* * *

“So, that wasn’t exactly what you had planned huh?” 

Axel sighed, unbuttoning the top buttons of the button down he had worn. He tried to ignore the red wine stain across half of his shirt, or the way that Demyx was clearly trying to make him feel better about the terrible date they just had. 

“No, not really.” Axel said with a tut and shake of his head as he leaned against the side of the restaurant they just came out of, his pride and wallet smarting. 

It had started out kind of okay with the two of them dressing up and going to one of the classier places around. Axel had just really wanted to show Demyx he was being serious about giving it a go, but as soon as they sat down it seemed like everything that could go wrong did. The two of them struggled to make conversation and in an attempt to distract himself Axel had grabbed for his wine glass and spilled it all across the table. They tried to stay and eat, but the small talk was enough to drive him crazy so he called for the check and the two of them had left. 

“Hey,” Demyx’s voice was soft as he nudged against Axel. Looking towards him, Axel couldn’t help but return the little smile that was on Demyx’s face. “I know you were trying, but I really don’t think that’s us, huh?” 

“No, not really. I just… wanted to give it a real shot, you know?” Another sigh escaped him and Axel started slightly at the feeling of Demyx’s fingers lacing with his. His heart started to pound as he took in the almost shy smile Demyx was giving him. 

“I know, but here, I got an idea. How about we just… keep doing what we’ve been doing. We don’t have to try any harder if it’s already been there right?” Demyx squeezed his fingers slightly and Axel felt his cheeks warm as he returned the squeeze. 

Waiting a beat, Axel blurted out “When the hell did you get so smart?” in an attempt to diffuse the slight (good) tension he could feel building up between them. It didn’t help that Demyx’s thumb rubbing across his was incredibly distracting. 

“Oh, I’m wounded, Ax. I was gonna kiss you but now…” Demyx turned his head and fake pouted and Axel laughed before leaning closer. Using his free hand to turn Demyx’s face towards him, the two of them locked eyes for a moment. Demyx’s pout turned into a slight smirk and Axel could feel his own expression mirroring his before he leaned in to touch his lips to Demyx’s. 

It was brief, a test. The two of them pulled away and the worries Axel had vanished as he realized he wanted to do it again. Later he would assume Demyx had the same thought as he yanked him in again by his shirt for a much longer kiss. They broke apart and the two couldn’t help but laugh at what it took for them to get there. 

“Hey Ax, I got another idea.” 

“Yeah?” Axel squeezed his fingers, giving him a smile as he got a hint as to where his train of thought was going by the goofy grin on his face. “Dessert?” 

“You know it! C’mooon, I wanna try that new flavor you were telling me about the other day! What was it--?” 

“You forgot already? Sheesh, will you forget we’re dating?” Axel laughed and tugged Demyx down the sidewalk, only to laugh harder at his protests and eventually ‘Maybe I will!’. Not that he had any plans whatsoever to let Demyx forget about him, not when he was ready to see where this would take the two of them.

* * *

  
“Yo, Saix!” Axel called out as he weaved between the tables. He watched as Saix looked up from his phone, one perfectly shaped eyebrow raising towards his hairline as his gaze slid past him to Demyx trailing behind him. 

Walking up to the table, Axel gave Saix a slight grin as he reached out to tug Demyx closer. Demyx gave a small wave and Axel smiled at that before returning his gaze to Saix. 

“Hope you don’t mind the plus one, figured I should introduce my best friend to my boyfriend.” The look on Saix’s face, a mix of surprise and ‘I told you so’ caused Axel to look to Demyx, grinning as the two of them took a seat across from the other man. They watched as Saix set his phone down and crossed his arms, shaking his head before finally regarding them and in particular their joined hands. 

“It’s about damn time.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to hit me up on twitter (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و☆: [@viiixel](https://twitter.com/viiixel)


End file.
